Together At Last
by Flamestar0228
Summary: What if Swift paw had never made the decision of chasing the dog pack away to become a warrior, and Swift paw and Brightpaw were together at last? Will everything change for the better? Please review and tell me if you guys like it. This is my first fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

"Who's with me? We chase the dog pack out of our territory! Then we get to become warriors!" Swiftpaw exclaimed. Cloudtail just became a warrior, and Swiftpaw was jealous. He wanted to become a warrior more than anything. He was not going to let Cloudtail ruin everything.

"I don't know Swiftpaw, that seems kinda dangerous. We could all get killed!" Thornpaw pointed out. He walked away to the apprentices den.

"Yeah, what Thornpaw said." Said Rosepaw worriedly. She walked behind Thornpaw. Swiftpaw gave up. He felt so much anger. They were being blind! But he knew it was no use. He too stalked off to the apprentices den. He curled up and curled his tail over his nose.

"Swiftpaw?" Brightpaw asked. She continued

"I know you don't want to be bothered, but I will go with you to fight the dog pack, but you probably gave up, so never mind." Brightpaw said then started to walk away.

Swiftpaw jumped up.

"You will?" He said in excitement.

"Yes, of course!" Brightpaw said as she spun around. Swiftpaw knew she would listen. He felt joy and happiness.

"Alright, here's the plan" Swiftpaw said.

**Skipping to Moonhigh**

"Wake up Brightpaw!" whispered Swiftpaw. He nudged Brightpaw with his head. She looked up at Swiftpaw.

"Let's go." Brightpaw rose to her feet. Swiftpaw led Brightpaw out of the gorse tunnel and to the Sunningrocks.

When they arrived he saw the dogs crawl out of the cave. He hissed at them, Brightpaw following with a spit at one of them. He signaled Brightpaw to start attacking.

He leapt at one of them and sliced one of their noses. The dog tried to grab him with its powerful jaws, but Swiftpaw was quicker. He jumped on its back and managed to rake his claws down its flank. The dog bucked but Swiftpaw hung on.

He jumped off the dog and scratched its nose.

Then Swiftpaw felt a burst of pain as one of the other dogs chomped down on his back and threw him up into the air to one of the other dogs. Swiftpaw felt as if he was the ugly stinky things chew toy. The other dog caught him and threw him onto the ground. Swiftpaw was bleeding horribly everywhere. He looked around for Brightpaw and saw her body on the ground.

Once the dogs were satisfied after ripping at Swiftpaw some more they raced back to their cave.

Swiftpaw felt pain everywhere. He tried to move but it hurt too much. Then he saw Brightpaw again. He started to crawl to her.

"B-b-b-Brightpaw?" he rasped. He felt guilt along with the pain. Then she put a paw in front of him. He put his paw on hers.

"A-a-are w-we g-g-going t-t-to d-d-die?" she asked. He could tell she was in so much pain.

"N-n-n-no, w-w-we a-are n-not." Then he saw blackness around his vision. Blood trickled from his mouth and blackness engulfed his vision.

Swiftpaw wailed and cried by the lake in Starclan. He had once again seen that vision. He would never forget what happened. He wished and wished he didn't make that stupid mistake of trying to become a warrior by chasing off those dogs. He had ended up dying, and Brightpaw had been seriously hurt, with half of her face had been ripped off, as well as half of her left ear had been taken.

Almost every day he watched Brightheart and Cloudtail together, with their son Whitepaw. He yearned every day to be down there, with Brightheart. He would try to reach Brightheart in her dreams, but he couldn't. All he wanted was for them to be together forever, loving each other endlessly. Redtail walked up to him in the midst of Swiftpaw's thoughts.

"Starclan has watched you and feels your pain. Starclan is a place where you feel no pain, and you are happy. Why do you feel so much pain that you cry and wail of anger and sadness?" Redtail asked Swiftpaw. He continued.

"It was also Cloudtail's destiny that he and Brightheart are together." He finished.

"Because Brightheart is down there; I am up here! She is in love with another cat! I love her Redtail! I want us to be happy together!" Swiftpaw wailed. That was true. He would do anything to be with her again.

"Alright then, Starclan has granted you one wish. Use it as you please, but use it wisely." Redtail offered. This is just what Swiftpaw needed! He felt a surge of hope up his pelt. _Finally we are going to be together! _Swiftpaw thought.

"I wish that I ever decided to chase that dog pack; that Brightheart and I are together still and we love each other" Swiftpaw said confidently. He knew now that everything was going to be okay. Then after that everything went blank.


	2. Chapter 2

He woke up from a sleep that felt like moons; he felt as stiff as a rock. But a sound, a voice brought him to reality. He realized whose voice it was, and it made him swell with joy.

"Swiftpaw, are you okay? You look like you've eaten some crow-food!" Brightpaw said worriedly. He looked around at his surroundings. Thunderclan was around him, looking at something at the foot of the Highrock. He saw a white pelt, then he realized that he was at a ceremony. He heard a voice echo around the clearing.

"This cat has learned the noble ways of the warrior code. He has trained hard as an apprentice and has earned his warrior name. From this day forward, he will be known as Cloudtail. StarClan has honored you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Swiftpaw looked up at the Highrock to see Bluestar looking down on Cloudtail. She leapt off the rock up to Cloudtail, he licked her shoulder, and in turn she licked his head. The clan started to cheer his name.

"Cloudtail! Cloudtail! Cloudtail!" He joined in with the chant. Then he looked directly at Brightpaw. Cloudtail, after the chanting of his name, walked up to the pair. Swiftpaw felt a surge of anger pass through him.

"Congratulations Cloudtail!" Brightpaw exclaimed. He gave her a little nod to show her that he was listening. Then Swiftpaw remembered every new named warrior had to sit in vigil until dawn, which he was glad he could finally sleep with Brightpaw again, alone.

"Yeah, it must be awesome to be a warrior now!" Rosepaw followed as she walked up to him. Every cat in the clan knew that Rosepaw mooned over Cloudtail. It was obvious the way she watched his training sessions and always brought him fresh kill.

"Yes. May StarClan light your path," Swiftpaw said in a respectful tone. Swiftpaw still would have liked to be named warrior as well. He knew he had to work harder now that Cloudtail became a warrior before the others.

"Come on Brightpaw, let's go to sleep. We still have training tomorrow!" Swiftpaw reminded, leading Brightpaw to the bracken hollow. He entered into the warm apprentice den, and curled up into a ball on his soft moss bedding. Brightpaw curled up close to him. He breathed in her warm scent before sleep overwhelmed him.

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He woke up in a clearing. Forest trees surrounding him, engulfing him in the scents of the forest at home.

"How is it so far Swiftpaw? Is your wish paying off?" He spun around, to find that it was Redtail.

"Yes it is. I am happy now with Brightpaw. I have not regretted my choice in my decision." Swiftpaw said.

"I have come here to tell you something. StarClan has decided this prophecy for all of the clans in the forest" Redtail's tone became serious. He continued,

"_Blood will form together to create a feared army." _

Swiftpaw was confused. What blood? Blood cannot form into an army! It's impossible! What could that possibly mean? He had so many questions for Redtail. As he began to open his mouth, Redtail had started to fade.

"No, don't go! Please tell me what that means! I have so many questions!" Swiftpaw pleaded.

"May StarClan light your path Swiftpaw." He managed to say before completely disappearing.

A sound disturbed Swiftpaw's dream. Then he heard Brightpaw's voice wailing at him.

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"Wake up! We have training! Remember? Longtail and Whitestorm are waiting!" Brightpaw said with an irritated tone. _Now she is the one reminding me! _Swiftpaw thought with amusement.

"Alright, I'm up!" Swiftpaw responded. He felt the cold winds of Leaf-fall. He didn't want to leave his warm den, but he wanted to be a warrior more than anything. He closed his eyes one more time before rising from his den.

He stepped into the grassy clearing. He looked back quickly into the apprentices den to see that Rosepaw and Thornpaw were still sleeping. He saw Tigerclaw organizing patrols near the high rock, and One-eye sunning near the elders den.

As he started towards the gorse tunnel, Cloudtail shot him a jealous and angering glance. When he looked away he saw Whitestorm, Longtail, and Brightpaw watching him with impatient looks. He felt guilty as he walked closer knowing he was being a mousbrain for taking so long, and positioned himself beside Brightpaw as Whitestorm moved in front of him and beside Longtail.

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He drank in the safe scents of the forest. He smelt prey but they weren't hunting now, they were going to the Sandy Hollow for training. They all started to race through the bracken towards the ravine, slicing through the forest as fast as lighting. Swiftpaw jumped over a fallen tree with Brightpaw jumped over a big thorn bush. Longtail and Whitestorm were fast too, but not as fast as the apprentices.

Swiftpaw felt adrenaline surge through his paws, urging him to go faster. Finally, he reached the bottom of the ravine. He was proud when he saw the other cats arrive after him shortly. As he watched the other cats arrived, he felt confident. He knew he had made the right decision.


	3. Chapter 3

"You hesitated Swiftpaw, if you were to hesitate in a real battle; your opponent would have gotten the chance to shred you fur off and send you off screaming for your mother. Focus!" Longtail ordered Swiftpaw. He was at the Sandy Hollow, training against Brightpaw. Whitestorm was also giving pointers to his apprentice.

It had been a moon's training since Cloudtail had received his warrior name; Swiftpaw was determined to show his mentor that he was ready for the assessment. He felt adrenaline surge through his paws.

"Alright, try again, and make sure all are your movements are swift, smooth blows. And claws sheathed!" Whitestorm reminded.

He looked Brightpaw in the eye with an amusing fierce look. She looked back fiercer, but with more excitement. She started by trying to bat him on the muzzle with her paw, but he ducked down and batted her across the face. She looked dazed, but snapped back quickly. Swiftpaw bowled her over onto her back and jumped up on top of her. He had one paw pressed on her belly, both of his forepaws pinned her forelegs to the ground.

"That was great! Both of you did a splendid job. Your movements were swift and quick. But Brightpaw, you have to know where your enemy is at all times are!" Longtail praised Brightpaw and Swiftpaw. Swiftpaw looked at Brightpaw with a proud glance. She looked back at him with anxiety in her eyes.

"You did wonderful! I can't be happier for you!" Swiftpaw gave her an affectionate lick on her ear.

Swiftpaw noticed that Whitestorm whispered something to Longtail and Longtail nodded at Whitestorm.

"This shows me and Whitestorm that you too are ready." Longtail looked at them with pride. Swiftpaw's eyes widened with excitement. _Finally! This is my chance to be warrior! Me and Brightpaw together as warriors! _Swiftpaw thought.

Brightpaw looked at Longtail with tired eyes.

"Yeah, my paws have been worn out! Let's head back to camp." Brightpaw said sleepily as she parted her jaws in a big yawn. Swiftpaw rolled his eyes. _Stupid furrball! _He thought with excitement.

"No! Not to head back to camp, to start our assessment!" Swiftpaw yowled at her with playfulness. Her eyes opened with shock and surprise. He knew that she was just as excited as he was. Swiftpaw looked over at his mentor, and he looked back, his eyes had a glint of pride.

"Tomorrow you two will start at dawn. Make sure you get up on time this time, Swiftpaw!" Whitestorm looked over at Swiftpaw jokingly. Swiftpaw looked back with confidence.

Swiftpaw felt so many things that he couldn't pin point all the emotions. All he knew was that he could run farther than the Highstones right now. He looked over at Brightpaw again. She was kneading the sandy ground with her paws, as if she could also run for moons.

_Are you tired now, Brightpaw? _Swiftpaw thought.

Swiftpaw then gave a mighty leap and landed beside Whitestorm and yowled into the Sandy Hollow,

"Race you back to camp!" and dashed off towards the ravine.

As he felt the wind in his ears he looked behind him to see if they were following, and discovered that Brightpaw was hard on his heels, and behind her was her mentor, trailing not far behind was his.

He raced through the forest. He felt the wind blasting his face, blood roaring in his ears, the bracken and fern brushing his pelt. He saw a big bracken hedge ahead of him. He started to run faster and faster towards it. When he became on foxlength away from it, he bunched up his haunches and leapt. He looked below him to see the hedge whizzing by him. He landed swiftly on all four paws and was at the beginning of the ravine. He looked behind him to see pelts racing through the trees not far behind him.

As Swiftpaw waited, he drank in the forest scents he smelt a disgusting scent above all.

"Badger!"Swiftpaw yowled at the others just arriving.

"Badger, I can smell it and it is fresh!" Swiftpaw hissed. Just after he said that he saw a dark black shape lumber into his sights. He looked at the others to see that he wasn't the only one who saw it. Swiftpaw whipped around to come face to face to the badger. It hissed at spit at them.

It felt like moons as the cats starred into the black eyes of the ruthless beast.

_I have to do something before it starts to attack us! _Swiftpaw thought hurriedly. He began to whisper into Longtail's ear,

"Take Whitestorm and Brightpaw with you to alert the clan. I will hold it off." Swiftpaw whispered. Longtail shot him a side glance. He whispered back,

"I'm not going to leave you here alone!"

"Yes you will! I will not put a clan cats' lives on the line! I can handle it!" he looked at Brightpaw. He would sacrifice his life to save her without a doubt. He could smell fear scent coming from her and Whitestorm. He noticed Longtail whisper something to Whitestorm and Brightpaw. Brightpaw hissed something back at Longtail, but soon relaxed.

Longtail, Brightpaw and Whitstorm turned tail and raced up the ravine. Swiftpaw stared at the badger with determined eyes.

"Get off my territory you mangy old badger!" Swiftpaw hissed. He leapt onto the badger. He unsheathed his claws and hung onto the badger's pelt. The creature tried to turn his neck and bite him Swiftpaw crouched. The badger started to try to buck off Swiftpaw. _This is a little amusing! _Swiftpaw thought.

Swiftpaw raked its black and white pelt before leaping off and raking it down its muzzle. The badger started to swing blindly with its massive paws that could crush a cat's skull. A stab of pain bursted through him as he realized one of the badgers paw raked into Swiftpaw's scruff, but he kept fighting. Swiftpaw batted its face until it finally gave up and lumbered the opposite direction of the camp, towards Riverclan territory.

"You can deal with that now!" hissed at the badger. He could feel warm blood trickle down his neck from his stinging wound.

Swiftpaw turned around and raced up the ravine and down into the gorse tunnel and into camp.

He saw Whitestorm at the front of the camp giving directions, but he stopped when he saw Swiftpaw enter the camp. After Longtail, who was also giving orders, took notice towards the gorse tunnel, every other cat looked at him in utter silence.

Swiftpaw was about to say something when all the other cats started to ask him questions.

"Is it gone?"

"Did you kill it?"

"Will my kits be safe?"

Swiftpaw silenced them with his tail.

"That badger will think twice before coming back here! And if it does, it will have to deal with me again!" Swiftpaw said confidently. Yowls of joy and relief came from the group of cats. Brightpaw came running at him with admiration on her face. She bowled him over and they lay there on the ground, happy together.

Longtail walked up to him.

"You did a very nice job. That will account with your final grade tomorrow Swiftpaw." Longtail looked at him with sincere proud in his eyes.

"T-Thank you, Longtail, that is wonderful!" Swiftpaw said as he got up. He looked behind him to see all the cats, smiling with relief. Bluestar emerged out of her den. Swiftpaw gulped. _Has no cat informed her of the badger? _

"What is going on here?" she yowled across the clearing. Cats turned toward her with shame. Then he finally spoke up.

"There was a badger on our territory. I drove it off." He meowed confidently. As he spoke Spottedleaf emerged from her den with marigold and cobwebs. She trotted over to him, she chewed up the leaves into a poultice, licked his wound clean, applied the marigold then the cobwebs.

"I want you to see me every day. And take it easy!" she reminded. Longtail walked over to them.

"Will he be able to take his assessment tomorrow?" he asked with worry in his tone.

"I suppose he could. If the wound reopens though during your assessment, come straight back to camp!" Spottedleaf advised.

He nodded thanks then padded over to Brightpaw; he felt Cloudtail's gaze scorch his pelt. He gave her a friendly lick over the ears.

"You did a great job Swiftpaw! I wish I was fighting right beside you." She said with disappointment.

"I didn't want to put you in harm's way. You know that. I would devote my _life___saving yours." He looked into her deep blue eyes and saw joy and closeness, but he also saw guilt, and anxiety.

Cloudtail walked up to the pair.

"You did a nice job Swiftpaw, thank you for saving the clan." Cloudtail said as he looked at Brightpaw with longing. Brightpaw looked back at him with suspicion. After a couple heartbeats, Cloudtail stalked off.

He heard Bluestar begin to talk, so he focused on her.

"Because of Swiftpaw's victory, we will have a feast. Longtail, Tigerclaw, Mousefur, Rosepaw go for a hunting patrol." Swiftpaw looked over to see the cats gather in a group and leave through the gorse tunnel. She continued,

"Cloudtail, Dustpelt, Sandstorm, Fireheart go for another." She finished.

"Bye!" Cloudtail said to Brightpaw and bounded off.

"Come on, let's go wash off." Brightpaw said to Swiftpaw. They lay down by the apprentices den. Swiftpaw began to groom her ears and scruff.

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After the clan had finished eating, the apprentices went to their dens to sleep. Swiftpaw lay closed to Brightpaw. As he lay there, drinking in her sweet scent, he began to think of his warrior name.

_Swifttail? Swiftpelt? Swiftfeather? So many options!_ After lots of other different names, sleep claimed him.


	4. Chapter 4

Swiftpaw woke up from his dreamless sleep. Dawn light was pouring into the den. He looked beside him to see that Brightpaw was still asleep. He got up and shook his mossy pelt. He could feel the morning chill from inside the warm den. Swiftpaw looked towards Brightpaw, warm loving thoughts engulfing him. _Oh Brightpaw. _

Something made him jump. _Our assessment! It's today! We will become warriors!_ Swiftpaw decided that he should awake Brightpaw. He stepped towards her, only to be interrupted by a sound behind him.

He turned to see Cloudtail looking at him with clouded eyes.

"Good to see that you're up Swiftpaw." Cloudtail meowed briskly.

"You as well," Swiftpaw said plainly. He saw that not only was there hatred in Cloudtail's eyes, but also hurt and wanting. Swiftpaw became confused. Why was Cloudtail so weird lately? Cloudtail was acting as if he had stolen something from him.

"I should be going now for me and Brightpaw's assessment now." Swiftpaw said.

"May StarClan light you and Brightpaw's path." Cloudtail said before stalking out of the gorse tunnel.

"Swiftpaw, who were you talking to?" he heard a voice murmur behind him. He looked to see Brightpaw's head lifted from her nest looking at him.

"Just saying hi to Cloudtail," Swiftpaw replied coolly.

"Oh, ok." Brightpaw got up and shook her pelt which was full of moss. Some of it fell onto Swiftpaw.

"Hey!" Swiftpaw yelled playfully; he swat at Brightpaw. She dodged them swiftly. Brightpaw crouched down and backed out of the den. Swiftpaw leapt after her into the chilly clearing. She tried to cuff him on the ears, but he ducked out of the way and snuck up behind her and snatched her tail.

She whipped around to paw at him but only to be intervened by Whitestorm, who walked up behind her.

"It seems you two are ready?" Whitestorm asked as Longtail walked up beside him.

"You bet we are!" Brightpaw bounced around him excitedly.

"And Swiftpaw, up, at dawn? What an interesting day it's going to be!" Whitestorm suppressed a _mrow _of laughter.

"What are we waiting for then?" Swiftpaw raced for the gorse tunnel.

"Wait for me!" Brightpaw yowled from behind. Swiftpaw raced out of the gorse tunnel and skidded to a halt to wait for the rest.

"Swiftpaw, wait right there!" Longtail ordered. He trotted out of the gorse tunnel and over to Swiftpaw. He continued,

"Whitestorm and I have been talking, and we've decided that you will take your assessment tomorrow because of your wound." Swiftpaw tried to look at his scratch, but he could only see the corner of the cobwebs._ Are you mouse-brained? _Swiftpaw yowled angrily in his mind.

"But you can't Longtail! He has to take it with me so we can be warriors together!" Brightpaw wailed. Swiftpaw noticed that Whitestorm gave her a disapproving look.

"Yeah, how is that fair? I can do the assessment! I won't reopen it, I promise!" Swiftpaw pleaded. Swiftpaw was anxious and worried. How can Longtail even think about doing this! He wasn't going to let anything stop him from becoming a warrior.

"I don't want to hear it, Swiftpaw. This is hard enough for me. You will not take the assessment today; you will take it when you are better!" Longtail hissed. Swiftpaw's eyes were wide with shock. He glanced over at Brightpaw to see her paws frozen in place.

"Let's go." Whitestorm took Brightpaw up the ravine. She glanced once more over to Swiftpaw; her eyes filled with sorrow, and then disappeared over the top. Swiftpaw starred at Longtail.

"How could you do this? I'm perfectly capable of doing the assessment today-"Longtail silenced him with his long tail.

"Bluestar would like to speak with you, and then you will understand." Swiftpaw followed Longtail through the gorse tunnel. Curiosity and scared thoughts came over Swiftpaw. What would Bluestar want with him? Did he do something so wrong that he would either be exiled from the clan or he would never become a warrior?

As thoughts bothered him he reached the lichen opening to Bluestar's den.

"Bluestar, you wanted to see me?" Swiftpaw asked.

"Come in, Swiftpaw." Anxiety immediately claimed him at Bluestar's response. He slowly walked into the den where Bluestar was sitting. As he walked in, he saw her sitting with her tail wrapped out her paws. What did she want to do with him?

"You wanted to see me?" Swiftpaw's voiced quivered as he spoke.

"Yes, I did. Do not worry, you are not in trouble," Swiftpaw felt a flood of relief fall over him. _Then what is this for?_ She continued,

"I felt that yesterday you proved yourself of being a warrior by dealing with the badger all by yourself. I felt as if you didn't need to do the assessment because of your actions yesterday. Longtail and I have been talking, and you will have your warrior ceremony today when Brightpaw gets back from her assessment." Bluestar finished. Surprise and excitement engulfed Swiftpaw. He started to jump up and down. _Yes! This couldn't be better!_

"I'm speechless! Thank you Bluestar!" Swiftpaw saw a glint of amusement in Bluestar's eyes.

"Now, go and help around the camp. Bring some fresh kill to Cinderpelt first." Bluestar gave him a dismiss nod. Swiftpaw trotted out of the den and into the clearing and over to the fresh kill pile. He picked up a plump vole and trotted over to Cinderpelt's den. He walked into the fern tunnel, and out into a small clearing with moss bedding at corner.

"Hello, Cinderpelt?" Swiftpaw asked into the cleft rock at the other side of the clearing.

"Swiftpaw, is that you?" then he saw her head pop out of the crack. As soon as she spotted to the vole Swiftpaw realized that she was hungry.

"This is for you." Swiftpaw nudged the vole to her paws.

"I'm starving; thank you Swiftpaw! Thank StarClan some cat brought me _something_!" She started to hungrily devour the vole.

"How are you so hungry? Didn't you eat last night?" Swiftpaw asked worriedly.

"Of course, but for some reason my belly has been rumbling for food!" Swiftpaw saw that Cinderpelt was unusually thin. Cinderpelt then looked up at him.

"You look hungry yourself! Why don't you get something to eat," Swiftpaw noticed how hungry he was when she said that. He was about to bound over to the fern tunnel when he heard her say,

"But first, can you please check the elders for ticks?" she asked in a grateful tone. Swiftpaw rolled his eyes.

"Yes, of course." He mumbled. _I much rather doing the assessment right now!_

"I'll go get some bile." Cinderpelt got up and disappeared into the crack in the rock. She left her half eaten vole on the ground. Swiftpaw's mouth began to water when out of the corner of his eye he saw Cinderpelt walk into the opening with mouse bile.

"Don't eat any of this, and wash off your paws before you eat when you are done." Cinderpelt instructed him. He took the leaf from her jaws, and said with the leaf between his teeth,

"Yes, of course Cinderpelt." And trotted through the tunnel and out into the grassy clearing of the camp. He looked towards the Highrock to see Tigerclaw giving patrol assignments, still no sign of Brightpaw and Whitestorm. He noticed a cat looking at him from the group of cats underneath the Highrock. Longtail looked at him with a questionable look. Swiftpaw nodded to him and he noticed Longtail got the answer he was expecting. He immediately looked as if he were going to explode with joy.

After a couple heartbeats of starring at each other, Swiftpaw bounded towards the elder's den to clear them of ticks. He walked in to see One-eye, Smallear and Dappletail talking amongst them. When Swiftpaw entered the den Dappletail wailed,

"Finally, these ticks that I can't get have been bothering me for moons!" One-eye ignored Dappletail's complaining and turned towards Swiftpaw.

"Hello little one, how has training gone? Are you doing your assessment soon?" she asked in a gentle, soothing tone.

"Yes, it has been going great. Today I'm going to be made a warrior with Brightpaw today!" Swiftpaw exclaimed. Smallear looked up from his slumber.

"Are you here for our ticks?" he mumbled.

"Yes, I am. Who would like to go first?" Swiftpaw replied.

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Swiftpaw took the bile back to Cinderpelt and started to head towards the stream by the camp. As he reached the stream he felt how hungry he was. He quickly dipped his paws into the water and ran off back into the camp. He slowed down to a trot and went over to the fresh-kill pile. Swiftpaw saw that the pile was restocked and he filled up with excitement. He picked out a fat mouse and turned around to see Brightpaw sitting at the apprentice's trunk eating and talking to Thornpaw. As he walked over, Thornpaw got up and walked off towards Ashpaw.

"Hey, Swiftpaw!" Brightpaw exclaimed from behind. Swiftpaw whipped around to look into Brightpaw's eyes.

"Hi, how did it go?" Swiftpaw asked as he sat down and began to eat.

"It went great; Whitestorm said that I'm going to become-"her voice trailed off with sorrow.

"Don't worry, Brightpaw! Bluestar thought that yesterday when I fought off the badger, that that was enough to convince her that I'm a true warrior! I'm going to become one with you today too!" Swiftpaw explained. As he told her, he saw her eyes light up with joy.

"That's just wonderful Swiftpaw! I wonder what our names are! Brightpelt, Brightclaw, so many possibilities!" Swiftpaw saw out of the corner of his eye Bluestar jumping up onto the Highrock. Her voice being heard by every cat in the camp,

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock." Bluestar announced. Swiftpaw saw the elders looking at Brightpaw and him from the outside of their dens. He saw that already all of the warriors and apprentices had joined Bluestar underneath the big rock.

"Today we have a special ceremony for two brave apprentices." Bluestar beckoned all the apprentices with her tail.

"Brightpaw and Swiftpaw, Whitestorm and Longtail have informed me that you both have become worthy of becoming apprentices," Bluestar continued.

"I, Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn." She looked over to Brightpaw.

"Brightpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Brightpaw replied confidently.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Brightpaw, from this moment forward you will be known as Brightheart. StarClan honors your courage and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan." Bluestar jumped down and rested her muzzle on Brightheart's head, and in turn Brightheart licked her shoulder. Bluestar turned to Swiftpaw.

"Swiftpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Swiftpaw felt determination surge through him as he spoke.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Swiftpaw, from this moment forward you will be known as Swiftfoot. StarClan honors your courage and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan." Bluestar jumped down and rested her muzzle on Swiftfoot's head, and in turn Swiftfoot licked her shoulder. He heard the clan chant their names.

"Brightheart! Swiftfoot! Brightheart! Swiftfoot!"


	5. Chapter 5

The cold night air gave Swiftfoot a chill as he sat at the entrance of the camp with Brightheart. His eyelids were heavy with sleep, and his legs felt like collapsing at any given moment. He looked over at Brightheart to see that she wasn't any different. Her eyelids were half closed, and her head hung low, and every few heartbeats she would jerk her head up, but it immediately drooped down again.

Movement out of the corner of his eye jump; he saw Brightheart do the same. He looked across the clearing to see Tigerclaw walking towards them; Whitestorm and Longtail behind him.

"You two go get some sleep, but don't sleep for too long!" Tigerclaw ordered. He continued,

"At Sunhigh, you will go on a hunting patrol with Longtail and Whitestorm." Tigerclaw dismissed them with a flick of his tail. Swiftfoot padded over to Brightheart to lead her to the apprentices den. As he was about to enter, he heard Longtail shout from behind,

"That's the apprentice's den mousebrain! You sleep in the warriors den." Longtail pointed his tail towards the warriors den. Swiftfoot guided Brightheart clumsily towards the warriors den. He entered the den and crept into the back with Brightheart. He settled down close to Brightheart, and as soon as he sat down, he felt sleep claim him at once.

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Swiftfoot woke standing in a grass covered clearing. Standing in front of him was the deputy before Tigerclaw, Lionheart.

"Hello Swiftfoot. Congratulations on becoming a warrior." Lionheart said in his deep, soothing voice.

"Thank you, Lionheart. I have something to ask you," Lionheart gave him a curt nod signaling to continue.

"Before, Redtail gave me a prophecy. I don't understand it; can you tell me what it means?" Swiftfoot asked.

"Even StarClan doesn't know what happens next, son. All we know of it is that something terrible will come and with it great horrors that could destroy the forest." Lionheart's eyes were clouded with uncertainty and sadness.

"But you must know! You're a StarClan warrior; you must know!" Swiftfoot pleaded. Before Lionheart could reply Lionheart began to fade. His last word were,

"Let your paws lead you, and doubt yourself for one heartbeat." Swiftfoot began to hear a chorus of voices calling his name. He felt a jolt of pain in his side, only to reopen his eyes to see Sunhigh light pouring through the brambles, warming his pelt.

"Swiftfoot! Wake up sleepy head! We need to do something else but sleep all day!" He looked to see Brightheart looming over him with a paw on his flank.

"Ok ok, I'm up!" he mumbled

"Tigerclaw wants us for a hunting patrol!" Brightheart turned around and disappeared out of the den. With a grunt he lifted himself out of his nest. His legs still felt like rocks. He gave his pelt a final lick and headed out into the clearing.

He headed out into the clearing to see cats gathered around beneath the Highrock. He trotted over to stand with the group.

"Look who finally decided to wake up and be a part of the clan!" Tigerclaw growled. He continued,

"Swiftfoot, Brightheart, Graystripe and Fireheart, I want you to go out for a hunting patrol." Swiftfoot looked around the clearing to locate his patrol. He saw them standing at the camp entrance. He walked over to them.

"Graystripe, I want you to stick with Brightheart. I'll stick with Swiftfoot." Fireheart announced as they walked through the camp entrance out into the forest.

"Ok Fireheart, c'mon Brightheart!" Graystripe trotted away with Brightheart. Fireheart looked at Swiftfoot.

"Ready to go and catch your first piece of prey as a warrior?" Fireheart said with amusement in his eyes.

"Yeah!" Swiftfoot said joyfully as a hopped down the trail.

Fireheart stopped to sniff the air. "I can smell a squirrel, over by those tree roots." Fireheart pointed his tail towards the tree roots of an old oak tree.

Swiftfoot dropped down into his hunting crouch and slowly advanced towards the squirrel. When he was close enough, he pounced on the squirrel and swiftly bit its neck.

"Nice catch, Swiftfoot!" Fireheart exclaimed. Swiftfoot saw in Fireheart's eyes, a hint of surprise and jealousy.

"Thanks! I think the elders are going to be pleased!" Then Swiftfoot heard a rustling behind him and see dark shapes crawl out of the bushes. Before he could react Swiftfoot felt a pain in his pelt, then everything went dark.


	6. Chapter 6

When Swiftfoot awoke, he could hear cats gathering around him; he could hear whispering but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He saw a limp shapes next to him. He could make out the fire like pelt of Fireheart, the gray tabby tom of Graystripe, and the orange and white spotted pelt of Brightheart.

They didn't look injured, just unconscious, at least he hoped. Swiftfoot tried to move, but as soon as he moved his foreleg, a shadow loomed over him.

"What do you want from us?" he managed to rasp out.

"I want you to send a message to your petty, what you call them, clans." A deep voice growled.

"And what's that?" Swiftfoot hissed.

"_Blood will form to create a feared army to rule the forest_." Swiftfoot's eyes widened. That was the prophecy from StarClan.

"H-How did you know that? Who are you?"Swiftfoot started to panic. There was no way these cats could know that prophecy. These cats were just rogues, smelling of thunderpath and twolegplace.

"We will be watching, and taking warriors one by one by one! And no one can stop us!" The rogue turned tail back to the forest; his companions followed. Swiftfoot closed his eyes once more as blackness took him.

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Swiftfoot woke to the smell of fresh forests and green grasses. He stood up and shook himself. He found himself in a field in StarClan. He heard rustling in bushes in front of him as a tortoiseshell she-cat appeared. Her pelt smelled sweet and comforting.

"Hello Swiftfoot." Her voice was as calming as the stream babbling in the forest.

"Hi! Who are you?" Swiftfoot asked. She had a ThunderClan scent to her.

"My name is Spottedleaf; I was a medicine cat for ThunderClan."

"Oh I remember you. You were killed by Clawface. I'm very sorry about that." She had been killed for a distraction. That was when ShadowClan had stolen the kits. Swiftfoot had remembered the nursery stories about that.

"Yes, I miss my home in ThunderClan, but that is not what this is about." _Is this about the prophecy? _ Swiftfoot thought.

"I have been told a prophecy, a prophecy that you hold." She mewed, her voice full of seriousness.

"Y-Yeah. What does it mean, why me?" He still had so many questions.

"I'm sorry, Swiftfoot. Not even StarClan knows." She shook her head confusingly.

"What about the rogues?" He inched closer.

Her head perked up.

"You must protect your clan! Make sure no one is hurt, not even Fireheart!" She pleaded, worry filling her yellow eyes.

"I will try to keep harm from my clan." He promised. He was a little shaken from her desperate pleas to keep the clan safe from the mysterious rogues. Just as he opened his mouth, Spottedleaf began to fade, her tortoiseshell pelt fading.

"Protect them, and him!" She whispered, her whispering plead filling his ears. It completely surrounded him until blackness washed over him like a river.

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**Sorry for such a short chapter and for the long wait! DX But I will soon post more, and I have created another fan fic about one of my OC chars, so maybe go check that out? X3 (Its called Flaming Forests) But I shall soon write more XD**


	7. Chapter 7

Swiftfoot started awake, his dream's events washing over him. He promised Spottedleaf to protect his clan from the rogues. _The rogues! _He suddenly remembered. He looked around, fighting against the darkness to see his surroundings. His eyes finally won the battle, and he saw that he was in the forest. He struggled to get up. The leaves below him crunched loudly.

He heard a deep growl, and looked over to see Graystripe getting up slowly. He shook his head, as if to get rid of what just had happened.

"Graystripe, it's me, Swiftfoot!" He hissed over to the gray tom. Swiftfoot saw Graystripe's yellow eyes full of terror and worry. Swiftfoot felt the same way, but he couldn't let it show. He was determined to find Brightheart and Fireheart.

_Protect him! _A voice rung through his head.

"I promised I would." He reminded himself. He padded over to Graystripe. He made sure that the worried tom was ok, and then went off to find the other two. He smelt a faint scent of rogue, but soon picked up Brightheart and Fireheart's scent trail.

He looked up, seeing that the moon was covered up by clouds. He shook his head in confusion. _Is this a sign? _

He saw two figures standing by a stream, a limp body caught on a rock. He leapt at the figure to the left. He pinned it down, snarling viciously.

"Swiftfoot!" A gentle voice sounded from in front of him. He would know that voice from anywhere. He looked back down at his opponent only to realize it was Fireheart. He quickly jumped off of his orange colored pelt.

"Sorry, I thought that you were a r-"He was cut off he looked at the body in the stream. His eyes immediately clouded with grief as he noticed the ThunderClan apprentice, Ravenpaw.

"No." He choked, stepping a pace forward. He looked apologetically at Fireheart, then Brightheart. He heard paw steps behind him, only to see that it was Graystripe.

"Fireheart, you're ok!" His expression went from relief to sorrow as he saw the apprentice in the stream, blood pouring from his neck into the water. Tears formed in his eyes as he padded over to his friend.

"What are you waiting for? Get him out of there!" She snapped at the cats, his order filled with grief. He grabbed the bloody and soaked cat from the water and heaved him onto Swiftfoot's back.

"Thank you." Graystripe whispered as a tear fell from his cheek and onto the leafy ground below. Swiftfoot nodded in respect as Graystripe padded away, in the direction of camp.

Swiftfoot grunted with effort as he trudged on after Fireheart and Brightheart. He shook his head in anguish. _I broke my promise… I could've prevented this. _A tear streamed down his cheek. A new voice echoed through his ears. _Don't let it happen again. Protect you clan, no matter what. _He nodded in acknowledgement. He finally reached camp, pushing himself and Ravenpaw's body through the tunnel.

No cat was in the camp. He knew that they were all sleeping. He slowly slid the apprentice's body onto the ground. He saw cats slowly pour from their dens, their eyes abruptly clouding with grief at their dead clanmate. Tigerclaw seemed the only one to not be sad, or surprised. Even though Ravenpaw was his apprentice.

Bluestar crept from her den, padding slowly next to the clan apprentice.

"What happened?" She demanded, trying to fight back tears.

"Uh, me, Fireheart, Graystripe and Brightheart were attacked by rogues and knocked unconscious."He replied his head bowed.

Bluestar's head shook a mix of confusion, anger, and grief.

"Tigerclaw, tomorrow organize patrols to hunt down those rogues." She store at him, her eyes unreadable. She settled down next to the apprentice, along with Fireheart and Graystripe. Brightheart gave Swiftfoot a questioning look. He nodded towards the warriors den, and she dipped her head in agreement.

He padded groggily toward his nest, settling down. He sighed with exhaustion. He felt Brightheart lay down beside him. He drank in her sweet scent before sleep enveloped him.

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**Short chapter again, I know , but I'll try to make a SUPER long one soon. And I know that at this time in za books, Ravenpaw isn't part of the clan anymore, but I'm just like, SCREW IT! Ravenpaw was a part of it, but now, if you didn't read the chapter, but yeah. Ill soon write again! And Ive said this before, but go check me other fan fic, Flaming Forests! XD**


	8. Chapter 8

Swiftfoot's eyes opened. He didn't see anything, only darkness, nothing but black surrounding him. Suddenly, a tiny blue flame appeared 20 fox lengths in front of him.

Voices started to harshly whisper all around him. His eyes widened in fear as the whispers pierced his ears. He fixed his eyes on the blue flame. The voices where whispering,

"_Only fire can save our clan."_

"_Blood will form to create a feared army that will rule the whole forest and the clans." _Swiftfoot flattened his ears, trying to block out the whispers. Before he reached the flame a ear splitting shriek rung through his ears.

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Swiftfoot opened his eyes in shock. He felt for Brightheart, only to realize that she had been gone for a while. He heaved himself to his paws, padding gently toward the opening of the den. He made sure not to step on any cat's paws and tails as he emerged out of the den.

The cold night air met his warm, smooth pelt. He shivered against the bitter cold night as he looked around camp. He realized Bluestar, Fireheart, and Graystripe were still in vigil for Ravenpaw. The poor apprentice's dull eyes were fixed ahead of him.

_He didn't deserve this! _He wailed in his mind as he bowed his head both in grief and guilt. _I've failed the only task I've been given, but it won't happen again! _He decided to look through all the dens, making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be.

He checked the apprentices den. All of them were sleeping safe and soundly, twitching every once and a while as they dreamt.

Swiftfoot then checked on the warriors den. He saw everyone but Whitestorm, who was on duty, and Brightheart and Cloudtail. Swiftfoot shrugged, concluding that they were maybe hunting together.

He checked the nursery. Speckletail wasn't there. He nudged Goldenflower awake.

"Where's Speckletail?" He asked worriedly.

"I don't know. I think she said that she was going to hunt." He nodded, leaving her to slip back into sleep. Swiftfoot reappeared into the clearing. He padded over to Whitestorm.

He prodded him awake. Whitestorm's eyes lit up, he leaped into the air.

"Get some sleep, I'll take guard." Swiftfoot giggled. Whitestorm didn't need to be told twice before he padded over to the warriors den and disappeared.

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For what felt like moons, Swiftfoot saw the sun rise above the horizon. He yawned, pausing to take a stretch before padding into camp.

He saw Tigerclaw pad out into the clearing, followed by Longtail, Brightheart, Cloudtail and Dustpelt.

"We need to bury Ravenpaw." Tigerclaw announced coldly. Dappletail and One-Eye padded out into the clearing. They picked up the limp apprentice's body and slowly trudged out of camp.

Tigerclaw sat beneath the Highrock to give everyone their duties. As he opened his mouth, blood dripped into his mouth. Every cat looked up to see Speckletail's mutilated body lying on top of the Highrock.

Swiftfoot's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the dead queen. He heard everyone's gasps and yowls of grief. Goldenflower had tears streaming off her cheeks. Bluestar's eyes were clouded with grief and shock, just like the rest of the clan.

"Who would do this?" Goldenflower choked out, her cry filled with grief as Willowpelt tried to comfort her. Bramblekit, Tawnykit and Rainkit bounced out of the nursery and gazed up at Speckletail.

"What is she doing?" Bramblekit asked, tilting his head curiously.

"She's sleeping silly! She went out hunting last night; she must be exhausted!" Tawnykit replied to her brother.

"I wonder if she brought any food for us like she always does!" Rainkit thought out loud. Swiftfoot felt horrible for the kits. _I've failed again, and I was even guarding the camp. I've failed once again, Spottedleaf. Forgive me. _He thought ashamed and full of grief.

"Get her down from there." Bluestar finally ordered Fireheart. Fireheart nodded, jumping up to the queen to heave her down into the clearing. She slid down the Highrock, as limp as any cat can be. A soon as Fireheart laid her down in the clearing, Goldenflower rushed over to her, grooming the blood off of her.

Swiftfoot hung his head shamefully, knowing he could've prevented this. _No more innocent cats should die from this, even if it costs me my life _Swiftfoot promised determinedly.


	9. Chapter 9

Moonlight shone down, onto the limp body of a queen, limp, in the middle of the clearing. Swiftfoot stood before her, staring at her dull amber eyes. He looked away, not being able to look her in the eyes anymore; knowing he had caused the death of the poor warrior.

_Never again_ He bowed his head in grief, lying down beside her. He recognized Dustfur's scent as the tom lay down beside him. Swiftfoot stuck his muzzle into Specktail's cold fur, drinking in her sweet scent. He regretted not realizing that a cat had snuck into the camp.

He sighed, a tear rolling down his cheek. He let the blackness around his vision to claim him; slipping in a deep sleep.

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Swiftfoot awoke, quickly heaving himself to his paws. He saw Ravenpaw and Speckletail standing before him.

"Ravenpaw, Speckletail! I'm sorry I didn't protect you guys!" He gasped guiltily. Both of the StarClan cats nodded to him, but their starry gaze changed to deep wisdom.

"You were given another life for a reason." Speckletail mewed, staring into him; her voice serious.

"It is not your fault two of your clanmates joined the starry ranks of StarClan. It was destiny. Remember your prophecies, and do not grieve for us."_Prophecies? I thought it was prophecy. What other one is there? _ The two starry cats were joined by many others, all the cats from different clans. Swiftfoot's eyes widened in awe and amazement as the StarClan warriors gathered around him.

He felt powerful, as if he drank all the stars. His muscles flexed, a jolt passing through his sleek body. Through the star pelted cats, Spottedleaf stepped toward him. Before she spoke, smoke filled the air. The stench of fire filled Swiftfoot's scent glands, blocking out everything else.

"Remember this, every waking moment. You are important to all the clans. Lead them to safety, protect them." She mewed, the words filled with wisdom.

Swiftfoot's consciousness faltered from the inhalation of smoke. He collapsed to the ground, the edges of his vision blackening. Before he fell into the black void, his last sight was the pleading gaze of Spottedleaf.

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Swiftfoot started awake, his muscles aching. He realized he was in the middle of the clearing, next to Specktail's cold body. Light was outlining her body, lighting up her spotted pelt.

Swiftfoot realized that the light was warm, very warm. He turned around to see blazing red erupting from out in the forest.

"Fire! Everyone out of camp!" Swiftfoot yowled the clan awake. He saw Bluestar sprint out of her den, her eyes wide with fear. Her mouth dropped with fear as the blazing, hungry, red flames ate up the forest.

"Everyone out of the dens! Help the queens elders first!" She ordered the warriors and apprentices that poured out of their nests. Dustfur, Sandstorm, Fireheart, Graystripe, Longtail and Mousefur got to work, splitting up into groups.

Swiftfoot looked as Tigerclaw watched, smirking at the struggling cats. He was brushed and pushed as cats fought to exit the camp. Tigerclaw disappeared, and so did Brightheart and Cloudtail. As the cats hurried out of camp, he heard Goldenflower yowl,

"Bramblekit is missing!" Her voice shook with fear and pleads. Swiftfoot hurried over, leaning into Goldenflower.

"I'll find him, you protect the other kits." He mewed soothingly to her. He looked around, making sure that all of the cats were gone. Fireheart was checking all the dens. Swiftfoot herded Goldenflower out of camp, away from the hot and hungry flames. He let her follow the others, while Swiftfoot went to look for Bramblekit.

He peered into the fire, seeing no sign of the kit. He sprinted into a clearing, hearing voices nearby. He recognized the squeaking of a kit's voice, and two low voices. He hid behind a bush, listening to the three cats.

"Now, Bramblekit, go with him. He will make you stronger, and he will make your life better." A familiar voice mewed. Swiftfoot growled, leaping out at the mysterious cats. Tigerclaw whipped around, his lips drawn back.

"Leave, if you _don't _want to die," He spat, guarding Bramblekit, who was shivering with fear. Swiftfoot looked behind his clanmate to see a rogue, glaring at him.

"Bramblekit, come here." Swiftfoot ordered. He saw out of the corner of his eye Bramblekit scamper under him.

"Bramblekit, run back to the clan, they are right before the ravine." He told the terrified kit, seeing him nod before sprinting off.

"What are you doing, Tigerclaw?" He demanded, spitting at him.

"Just getting rid of a useless kit," He replied coldly.

"He's your son! How could you do that to him?" He glared at the rogue behind him, feeling the heat getting closer and hotter by the heartbeat.

"I can do whatever I want!" he demanded, warding off the rogue. The stray cat scampered off, his fur seared by the fire. Swiftfoot growled at his clanmate. _How could he do this? What is wrong with him? _

"Leave, small kit, or I will tear you too shreds!" Swiftfoot saw Tigerclaw bunch his haunches. As he leapt, Swiftfoot saw it coming. He raked his claws down his belly, flipping him on his back.

Tigerclaw wriggled free, leaping for Swiftfoot. Swiftfoot hooked his claw in his cheek, before raking his scar on his muzzle. Tigerclaw hissed in annoyance, grabbing Swiftfoot by the scruff and throwing him against the ground.

Swiftfoot saw the fire form a circle around the two fighting cats. Swiftfoot pushed Tigerclaw off with his hind legs, quickly leaping to his paws; ready for the next attack. Tigerclaw's amber eyes were filled with rage. He leapt for Swiftfoot's throat.

**This is just an experiment. I'm just seeing how this might turn out 030 Tell me if you guys want to see more of it! X3**

**Bluestar's POV**

_My clan is terrified, and they don't even have a stable leader; the deputy is nowhere to be found. I need to find is terrified, mumbling something about two cats. _Bluestar padded over to Longtail.

"I'll be back, watch them." She mewed, before padding off back into the hot forest. She looked everywhere. She looked through the fire, hoping that they didn't get eaten by the hungry flames.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two black shapes in a ring of fire. One of the shapes leapt to the other. The cat reared up, defending them self. The other cat collapsed, its throat had been accidently slit by the other attacker out of defense.

The fire parted, revealing Tigerclaw limp on the ground; Swiftfoot standing above him. His eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Fire branches fell on either side of him. Bluestar got ready to leap to help, but realized that the flames didn't touch him. The flames grew bigger behind him, outlining his pelt to a red-golden color.

Bluestar gasped. _Fire alone will save our clan_


	10. Chapter 10

**Duh Duh DUUUUUUUHH! Swiftfoot is the prophecy that WAS Firehearts! Didn't see it coming, did you :D I just read over the fan fic myself, and I just realized how, immature and rushed it is, so I will do better in da future! Have fun with this chapter :]**

_Why did I do that? Why? _Swiftfoot looked at Tigerclaw's body below him; blood pouring from his neck. Gurgling came from the warrior's mouth as he tried to fight the pain. His amber eyes filled with anger and pain. Swiftfoot felt as if his pelt was on fire, but when he looked at his spotted pelt, not a flame had seared his sleek pelt.

He heard a crackling above him, watching as flaming tree branches collapsed beside him. He didn't even notice; he was too shocked about what he had done to Tigerclaw. He had expected to feel a searing pain; instead of feeling burning, he felt strength, his blood hot.

His muscles flexed as heat passed through his body. He felt as if his eyes had filled with the red embers, making him powerful. He winced, feeling the amazing strength surge through his body. He reopened his eyes, looking right into Tigerclaw's dull amber eyes. Darkness engulfed his vision, though he was still awake. _Fire alone will save our clan _A voice echoed through his head.

Swiftfoot shivered, the voice was soft and chilling. The darkness faded, revealing a pair of cold, piercing blue eyes watching him from behind a thorn bush.

"U-Uh it's not what it looks like!" He pleaded to Bluestar, knowing what it might've looked like in the aftermath of the battle the two warriors had.

"I know. But now's not the time to talk about it. Come, before the flames burn you." She mewed panicked. Swiftfoot quickly followed her out of the bloody clearing. He took one last long look at Tigerclaw's body, before it was eaten up by a starving fire. His eyes filled with grief and regret as he swiftly followed his leader.

As he trotted through the forest, he looked at all the fire's disaster. He gasped, wondering what the camp would look like after the fire had gone out. All the trees had been burned, the undergrowth now just piles of ash. Swiftfoot knew the fire hadn't finished its destruction yet.

He still felt the warmth of the raging flames as he reached the clan at the bottom of the ravine.

"Swiftfoot!" He heard a voice squeak. Bramblekit broke from Goldenflower's grasp and ran over to him.

"Hello Bramblekit. Come with me for a moment." He dipped his head to Goldenflower as he led the kit to a spot where no cat could over hear them.

"Why was Tigerclaw trying to give me to a rogue?" Tigerclaw's name hit him, making Swiftfoot see images of his lifeless eyes and body; he winced. Swiftfoot closed his eyes, trying to think of an answer to give to the kit.

"I don't think he was ready to be father. He was very wrong to do that too you." He responded carefully, making sure not reveal too much. Bramblekit looked at him, his eyes clouded with sadness and despair.

"Was I the problem?" He choked out, his voice full of misery. Swiftfoot's gaze immediately clouded with pity for the poor kit. He smiled weakly.

"No, you weren't the problem; he was. I don't know why he didn't want you, but it's ok now. I'm here to make sure you never get taken away." He licked his between his ears, though the kit's amber eyes, much like his father's, were still filled with shame and guilt. Swiftfoot got to his paws. He opened his mouth to say something, but was abruptly cut off.

"Where is he?" Bramblekit asked, looking up at Swiftfoot with a questionable gaze. Swiftfoot stammered, not knowing what to say.

"H-He… He" _I can't tell Bramblekit that I killed his father! _He cleared his throat.

"Unfortunately, he ran off with the rogue." He mewed, trying to sound sorrowful. Bramblekit nodded, getting up and padding side by side with Swiftfoot. _I'm so sorry Bramblekit, I didn't want to kill him _He told him in his head, wishing Bramblekit could've heard his apology.

The two saddened cats padded back to the temporary camp. Bramblekit padded off with Tawnykit and Rainkit. Swiftfoot sighed, out of both exhaustion and grief.

"Let all cats old enough to hunt gather beneath me!" Bluestar's order rang through the cats in the clearing. Everyone padded over to the boulder their leader was standing on; their eyes glinting with eagerness to see what Bluestar had to say.

"A terrible fire has struck our clan, leaving us weak. Hunting will be hard, and little shelter will be difficult to find. But we must work together to survive. The hungry flames still scorch the forest, so we are not safe yet." She looked across her clan, eyeing each one carefully.

"Are any cats missing?" She asked, checking her cats.

"Tigerclaw, Yellowfang and Dappletail are missing." Fireheart announced.

"We need to find them as soon as possible. And, for Tigerclaw," She looked at Swiftfoot. Swiftfoot the gaze of every cat in the clan, burning him worse than any fire could. He swallowed, opening his mouth to speak.

"He ran off with a rogue; before trying to give Bramblekit away to the rogue. I fortunately was there to stop him. But as I led Bramblekit back to the clan, he had disappeared, so had the rogue." Swiftfoot mewed defiantly. As he explained, he heard gasps of disbelief. Swiftfoot didn't believe it himself.

"So, I need to choose a new deputy. I have already chosen who." She paused, looking across her clan.

"Longtail, are you brave enough to take on duties and tasks for your clan, as their deputy?" She looked at the golden warrior. Swiftfoot purred as he saw his former mentor's eyes light up with disbelief and happiness. Swiftfoot felt happy and excited for Longtail.

"Of course; I will happy to serve both you and my clan as their deputy." He looked at Bluestar right in the eye, hiding his excitement. He was proud of his former mentor. _Lead our clan well, Longtail. You deserve to be warrior _


	11. Chapter 11

**Lol, I just read the last sentence…. Instead of warrior it should be deputy X3 But, just wanted to let you guys know, if you enjoy this, maybe go check out my other fan fic (its warriors) Flaming Forests. Have a great day, night or afternoon or morning (which ever time you're in) ;3 (and I may or not be starting a Sherlock fan fic o3o)**

Swiftfoot noticed Mousefur pad up to Longtail, nudging him playfully. He heard her mew disbelievingly,

"Would've never thought you would be deputy!" Longtail rolled his eyes, licking her ears. Swiftfoot smiled, feeling a pelt brush his. He looked over to see Graystripe. He was smiling to.

"The way the play with each other, I'm surprised that they love each other!" Graystripe chuckled. Swiftfoot nodded, dipping his head to the gray pelted warrior before trotting to the edge of the clearing. He sighed, scanning the clan for any problems. He laid his eyes on Cloudtail and Brightheart, brushing pelts. Their head were close together, and their tails were twined together.

Swiftfoot winced, feeling a sharp stab of hurt and exasperation from inside him. His breathing shallowed at the sight of the two. Tears welled his eyes, blurring his vision. He turned his head quickly, looking down the ravine. He turned around completely, running down the trail behind him. He clenched his teeth as he tried to hold back a wail of defeat.

His pace slowed until he collapsed, either from the smoke inhalation or the pain inside him. The glowing flame crackled in the distance as his breathing slowed, blackness claiming his surroundings.

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His eyes opened into slits. His muscles ached. Swiftfoot's paws felt as heavy as stones. He felt as if they weighed as much as the Sunning Rocks. He barely heard the rustling of bushes as a tom with a sleek golden pelt padded in front of him. The tom nodded in greeting to him. Swftfoot shook his head, trying to get rid of the spinning feeling he had.

"Hello." His voice was smooth and calm. Swiftfoot tilted his head confusingly.

"Hi?" He mewed. The StarClan cat chuckled a bit.

"You are StarClan, right?" Swiftfoot asked hopefully. The tom looked at him and smiled.

"Of course. Let me introduce myself. I am Sunstar, the leader before Bluestar. In fact, she is my daughter." He lifted his chin with pride and defiance. Swiftfoot dipped his head in respect immediately.

"I never knew you were her father. You sure don't look like her!" He meowed jokingly. The former leader laughed at the joke.

"No, she looks like her mother. But never mind that. That is not what I'm here for." His voice quickly dropped with serious and importance. He continued.

"As you know, a fire erupted in the forest. It was caused by Twolegs. But during the fire, you killed your own deputy, Tigerclaw. "He reminded Swiftfoot, looking dead straight in the eyes of the ThunderClan warrior. As Swiftfoot met his gaze, his head hung immediately with shame and regret. Sunstar padded over, picking his chin up with his tail.

"Don't feel shameful. You did the future of the clans a favor, and you proved StarClan wrong. In the mere future, we believed Tigerclaw would bring such evil and disgrace to the forest. You did everyone a favor. But, that doesn't mean you stopped all the evil." Swiftfoot looked surprised at Sunstar, doubts flying all around his head.

"No," He breathed. "He couldn't have!" He objected. Sunstar nodded, a glint of eagerness appearing in his deep amber eyes.

"We thank you. But we know you didn't mean to kill him. You defended yourself. The warrior code doesn't prevent that. Also, we thought another prophecy was meant for another cat, but we were wrong. The fire was the one who saved all the clans. You also helped." Sunstar looked away, his eyes closed. Swiftfoot has thoughts race around his mind, making his vision whirl.

"You know the prophecy you've been told, and the task you've been given. Please, never forget. Your actions could form the future of all the clans. Be careful, and remember. Protect your clans, even at the cost of your life. Sunstar looked at Swiftfoot at last, his eyes filled with nothing but wisdom. As the met eyes, the former ThunderClan leader faded, his last words ringing in Swiftfoot's ears.

Swiftfoot nodded, his yellow eyes clouded with determination. As Sunstar faded, so did Swiftfoot's vision. The very last thing the ThunderClan leader said was,

_Don't tell anyone else, keep all this information to yourself, especially Bluestar…._


End file.
